


Bath Time

by eagle_of_idiocy (flamingofics)



Series: What We Remember Forever [7]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Bubble Bath, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Leonard McCoy Is A Good Dad, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 16:05:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17348300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingofics/pseuds/eagle_of_idiocy
Summary: “There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.” –Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)In which Jim – as well as a couple of others – takes a bath.





	Bath Time

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Never Too Late](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7506238) by [eagle_of_idiocy (flamingofics)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingofics/pseuds/eagle_of_idiocy). 



> Reading "Never Too Late" is highly recommended prior to reading any other part of the "What We Remember Forever" series. If anything, please at least read this series' description! Thank you!
> 
> Also, a reminder: the OOC-ness on Spock's part was somewhat unavoidable due to nature of the initial prompt that sparked this little universe. By default I tried to write him as in-character as possible given the circumstances.

Spock knew it was technically impossible for one’s shift to move any faster or slower than it was regularly scheduled to do. Yet as he stepped into the turbolift promptly after Beta shift had ended, Spock could not help but feel as though the present moment had taken much to long of a time to reach.

The half-Vulcan headed straight for sickbay rather than to the mess for his regular evening meal. Having been working through two shifts so far in the day, Spock had not had the opportunity to see the young Jim. As first officer, it was his duty to watch over the captain and maintain a vigilant report on his status. It was only natural that he should decide to visit Jim first before anything else.

Really, that was all.

As he strode through the sickbay doors and made his way towards Jim’s temporary quarters, the many medical personnel who noticed him quickly looked away in order to hide their smiles. By now, the reason for Spock’s predictable visits to sickbay was well-known, particularly among the ship’s doctors and nurses. No one was willing to do anything that might put a stop to it all, so silence was kept and those who knew simply looked the other way.

When Spock entered Jim’s room, he found it to be empty. Mildly puzzled, he turned and went to McCoy’s office, only to find that it, too, was empty. He raised an eyebrow; it was unlike the doctor to take Jim somewhere on the ship without notifying someone beforehand, especially at such a relatively late hour.

He slowly left McCoy’s office in thought just as Nurse Chapel passed by. She looked at him only briefly before smiling knowingly.

“Mister Spock,” she said gently to grab his attention. “This way.”

Chapel led him along a corridor past a line of exam rooms. Near the end, she stopped by a door and merely gestured to it before smiling sweetly and walking off, secretly biting her lip in order to keep a giggle from leaking out.

A chorus of sounds was coming from behind the door. Curious, Spock leaned in closer. The sound of Jim’s unmistakable laughter rang through, accompanied by more from a lower, baritone voice, as well as the sound of splashing.

Spock pressed the comm unit by the door to announce his presence. The majority of the noise quickly stopped, save for the occasional sound of Jim’s mirth. After a few short seconds, the door slid open, revealing a very pleased-looking, very soaked Doctor McCoy.

“Hey there, Spock!” McCoy greeted, a smile on his face. “How are ya?”

For a mere second Spock only stared. He couldn’t help but be a little surprised – he had never seen the doctor so… _happy_ before. The man’s natural Southern drawl leaked out some when he spoke, something Spock noted as happening only when McCoy was either very upset or distressed, or, apparently, very content.

“I am well,” Spock answered, eyeing the rather wet and slightly soapy state of the doctor. “I was merely curious as to the whereabouts and status of the captain.”

McCoy cocked an eyebrow before nodding. “’Course you were, Spock. We’re both off duty, you know, so you can cut all of the formalities.” He jerked his head in the direction behind him, flinging droplets of water off his hair in the process. “I was just giving Jim a bath.”

Spock’s own eyebrow went up. “I was not aware that you were in possession of a reservoir for such a purpose.”

“Well, it’s a therapy tub,” McCoy explained. “Only one on the ship. Even with a ship this size the crew only gets so much access to running water at a time, unless we’re docked or on leave. That’s why everyone’s gotta settle for sonic showers instead of a good old fashioned water shower – otherwise the _Enterprise_ would run dry every week. But sickbay’s allotted at least one bathing tub for medical purposes. Half the time we don’t even need to use it, but you never know, especially with this crew.” He looked back to where Jim could still be heard giggling. “Anyway, I didn’t wanna subject the kid to those sonic showers; there’s no fun in ‘em. A nice old fashioned bath, though – _that’s_ the proper way to bathe a child if you ask me.”

Spock only nodded, oddly amused at the doctor’s enthusiasm.

Delivering a light smack to the half-Vulcan’s arm, McCoy stepped back. “Why don’t you come in and see for yourself?”

As they stepped further into the room and the bathtub came into view, Spock felt his lips quirk at the sight that presented itself. Jim was seated contentedly inside it, water barely up to his waist, surrounded by what looked like masses of pink, foamy bubbles. Light puddles of water were scattered around the base of the tub, no doubt the result of the splashing Spock had heard earlier.

Jim looked up when they came in, smiling brightly.

“Hi, Bones!” he greeted. “Look, Spock, bubbles!”

Spock eyed the child warmly. “I see, Jim.”

Content that he had shared the source of his fun, Jim picked up a sponge floating in the water and began playing with it. Spock eyed the general contents of the bath with interest, not going unnoticed by McCoy.

“It’s a bubble bath, Spock,” he said. “Just another one of those human indulgences of ours.”

“I am familiar with the practice, Doctor,” Spock responded. McCoy snorted a short laugh before walking over to the tub. “Another ten minutes, kiddo, then we have to take you out.”

Jim seemed downtrodden at the thought of getting out of the bath. “No, Bones, please?”

McCoy wasn’t deterred, reaching out to ruffle the boy’s bubbly, wet hair. “You’ll get all wrinkly, sport, and you don’t want that, do ya? Don’t worry, afterwards we’ll go down and have ourselves a nice dinner, and then if you want, Miss Uhura can come up later and read you a story. That sound okay?”

The boy smiled and nodded, seemingly content with the alternatives McCoy had offered.

The comm on the wall suddenly whistled. McCoy looked over to see that it was Christine calling.

 _Perfect_ , he thought, discreetly eying the half-Vulcan next to him.

“Listen, Spock, I gotta take care of something,” McCoy said, taking a towel off of a nearby counter and drying his hands with it. “Would you watch Jim for a minute ‘til I get back?”

Spock nodded. “Of course, Doctor.”

With another smile and a wave to Jim, McCoy was gone.

Spock took to sitting on a short stool near the tub, continuing to watch as Jim played with the sponge as if it were a ship. Growing up on Vulcan, Spock had never had the opportunity to take a water bath. Despite the sheer number of Vulcans that had been living on it, water had been fairly scarce on his planet, and sonic showers were the main means of bathing among his people. Even after relocating to Earth, Spock had grown so accustomed to the regular bathing habits of his upbringing that he had never indulged in his earlier curiosity of bathing in water. He remembered his mother briefly mentioning bubble baths at one point in time – according to her they were one of the most relaxing activities imaginable. Briefly, Spock wondered what it had been like for her then, knowing that as long as she was on Vulcan she could not indulge herself in such a method of relaxation again.

Unable to prevent his curiosity any longer, Spock reached over and dipped his fingers into the bathwater. The light pressure around his skin from the water was actually quite soothing, and while the temperature was rather lukewarm to him, Spock wouldn’t doubt that it was the perfect amount of warmth for Jim.

The half-Vulcan was jerked out of his thoughts when a generous amount of water was splashed over his hand and arm. On impulse he quickly removed his hand from the bath, brown eyes darting up to look at Jim, who was giggling to himself and looking shyly mischievous.

For a short moment Spock was unsure what to do. In simple honesty the splash had surprised him, as well as the sudden change in temperature on his hand and arm. Jim’s smile slowly dwindled as the seconds ticked by, suddenly looking rather unsure of himself. Mentally shaking himself out of his slight stupor, Spock quietly berated himself for his inaction. The last thing he wanted to ever do was Jim uncomfortable.

With only a minute, illogical sense of hesitancy, Spock reached back into the bath and splashed Jim gently across his shoulder.

Jim ducked his head in response, but when he looked back up his smile was brighter than ever. With a laugh he splashed the half-Vulcan back, the water breaching the tub and hitting the tip of Spock’s knee. More on a sense of impulse, Spock struck back, splashing the area behind Jim’s head, and quickly the situation was deteriorating into an all-out splash war.

Spock let out an exhale that, had McCoy been present to judge, might have sounded suspiciously like laughter.

When the commander eventually left sickbay, mysteriously drenched from head to foot, no one said a word.


End file.
